The present invention is related to an improved fermented whey for use as a mycostat, and the process of manufacture of it.
Whey, a naturally occurring substance, is the serum or watery part of milk that is separated from the curds in the process of the manufacture of cheese. Dried whey contains about 73% lactose and 13% protein, with the balance being inorganic salts.
In the present state of the art, whey is used for many different purposes, including incorporation of it into non-fat dried milk, as a source of B-vitamins, as protein food supplements, as a supplement for cereal grains and, when in fermented form, as a mycostat or preservative in bread and other bakery products. Whey is fermented by a number of microorganisms, and a current process for making what may be termed "functionalized whey" involves the use of the bacterium Propionibacterium shermanii. Fermented whey, formed by the propionic fermentation, has been found to be an effective natural preservative or mycostat when incorporated into breads and other cereal products of a similar nature. See, for example, Baker's Digest, 49(3), pp. 38-39 (1975), and Agric. Acad., Inst. Food Technol., Warsaw, Pol., Zesz. Nauk. Szh. Gl. Gospod. Wiejsk. Ikad, Roln, Warszaqie, Technol. Riono-Spozyw., 12, pp. 23-26, 1977 (pubs. 1978). It can replace chemical preservatives and is of substantial commercial importance in the sale of "natural" bakery products. The degree of mycostatic effectiveness of whey has been found to depend upon the amount of propionic acid produced in situ by the bacterium in the fermentation process. Thus, the greater the amount of propionic acid produced in the fermentation of whey, the greater the mycostatic activity when the whey is incorporated into breads, cakes, and the like.